Base assembly element for a refrigerator and/or freezer as well as refrigerator and/or freezer

ABSTRACT

The within invention concerns a base assembly component, in particular an equipment base for a refrigerator and/or a freezer with at least two separate air control areas through each of which air can be introduced individually for purposes of cooling. Additionally, the within invention concerns a refrigerator and/or freezer with at least one base assembly component.

The within invention concerns a base assembly element for a refrigeratorand/or freezer as well as a refrigerator and/or freezer.

It is already known from the state of the art how to combine componentspositioned at the bottom of refrigerators and/or freezers in a baseassembly or an equipment base assembly, and subsequently to connect themwith the internal container as a combined unit on which, for example,the exterior walls of the refrigerator and/or freezer can be mounted asa last step.

It is also already known how to position compressor and condenser in theequipment base instead of using backplate condensers. Cold ambient airis sent via air control channels positioned in the base to thecomponents positioned in the base, such as the compressor and thecondenser circuit parts, which are thereby cooled. However, a problemexists inasmuch as in the existing proposals known from the state of theart, the components in the base are positioned in a row in the aircontrol channels, so there is no optimum ventilation of the components,because the heat given off by the components positioned farther forwardin the air control channels tends to warm the air in the air controlchannels, so that the components positioned farther back can no longerbe sufficiently cooled.

It is therefore the task of the within invention to perfectadvantageously a base assembly element of the type initially mentioned,particularly in such manner as to permit guidance of air in the baseassembly element and to facilitate optimum ventilation of all componentspositioned in the base assembly element.

This task is performed, according to the invention, by a base assemblyelement having the characteristics of claim 1. Provision is made for abase assembly element, in particular an equipment base, for arefrigerator and/or freezer, said base assembly element having at leasttwo separate air control areas, each of which can be supplied with airfor cooling. The advantage of this is that, for example, the componentspositioned in the individual air control areas can be suppliedseparately with air for cooling, so that better cooling and removal ofheat can be achieved in the individual air control areas.

Additionally, the air control area can be constructed at least partiallyas a channel, and/or a common air inlet can be provided, and/or each ofthe air control areas can have at least one individual air outlet.

It is also possible to provide at least one fan in the air inlet area.Advantageously it is thereby possible, by means of the fan positioned inthe area of a common air inlet for the separate air intake areas, ofwhich there are at least two, to introduce ambient air into the two aircontrol areas, in which case provision can also advantageously be madefor the air blown into the air intake areas for cooling purposes to exitthe equipment base or base assembly element via its own air outlet inthe individual air control area.

It is also possible to position the air inlet at the front between thetwo lateral air outlets, and/or to fit the air inlet within a frame,and/or to equip the air inlet with an air filter that preferably coversthe air inlet completely and can filter the air entering through the airinlet, in which case the air filter can be inserted into the frame. Thisoffers the advantage that, for example, air inlet and air outlet arepositioned exclusively in the front, a situation that is particularlyadvantageous in refrigerators and/or freezers positioned in recesses ornear a wall. It is particularly advantageous if the air inlet ispositioned at center front. Advantageously, the air filter can preventthe inside of the base assembly element from becoming dirty duringoperation, and consequently can prevent a breakdown of the refrigerationcycle components. In particular, it is possible for the air filter to beeasily removable by the user of the refrigerator and/or freezer. Thecustomer can do this, for example, by removing the air filter from theair inlet by means of a strap and inserting a replacement air filter inthe frame. It is also possible for the air filter to be made reusableafter a cleaning and re-insertion in the frame.

Additionally, provision can be made for individual refrigeration cyclecomponents, particularly parts of the condenser(s), to be positioned inthe air control areas, in which case the condenser(s) is (are) designedas spiral condensers. The advantage of this is that in equipment with ahigh refrigerating capacity that must in addition make do without acondenser or backplate condenser, the individual condensers can bepositioned in the air control areas. To increase the heat radiationsurface, the condensers are advantageously designed as spiralcondensers. The positioning of the individual condensers in the separateair control areas facilitates even and hence optimum cooling of thecondensers, since the condensers are in parallel position rather thanthe serial position that has existed to date.

Additionally, provision can be made for at least one bypass area, inparticular a bypass channel, by means of which said bypass channel aircan be led to a vaporization pan, and/or by means of which said bypasschannel air can be led to at least one compressor, in which case thecompressor is positioned advantageously in the base assembly element.This permits dynamic ventilation of the vaporization pan by means of thebypass channel, thus increasing vaporization performance.Advantageously, it is possible to equip the evaporating pan with a coverhaving ventilation openings, by means of which said ventilation openingsthe warm air can, for example, flow up the back wall of the refrigeratorand/or freezer. This upward flow of warm air prevents the back wall frombecoming covered with moisture. This is particularly advantageous whenthe equipment does not have a backplate condenser, which thanks to itsheat radiation prevents accumulation of moisture on the backplate. Thisis particularly advantageous in equipment that is intended for use incountries with high humidity and high ambient temperature. In thisconnection it is also possible to provide for dynamic ventilation of thebackplate, which said ventilation can be achieved by appropriate controlor adjustment of the fan. Such dynamic ventilation of the backplate isparticularly advantageous if the space between the equipment and thewall is too narrow to allow sufficient air to travel up the backplate bynatural convection.

Preferably, the compressor is positioned in the rear of the baseassembly element or portion of the base assembly element, and/or thevaporization pan is positioned above the compressor. The advantage in anarrangement of this type is that, first, the air sucked in through theair inlet by means of the fan and sent via the bypass channels to thecompressors or the compressor cools the compressors, and the air therebyheated is then guided to the vaporization pan, with consequent increaseof vaporization performance. In this connection, it is particularlyadvantageous if the very warm air can rise along the backplate of therefrigerator and/or freezer over the vaporization-pan air outletopenings that face the cover.

Provision can also be made for at least one airflow deflection agent inthe air outlets or in the vicinity of the air outlets, therebypreventing flow conflicts with other air control areas, in particularpreventing, by means of at least one airflow deflection agent, flowconflicts between the air inlet and the air outlets.

It is particularly advantageous if the airflow deflection agent isdesigned in one piece with the corresponding air outlet, and/or if theairflow deflection agent is an air outlet grille with oblique blades.For example, in an arrangement in which the air inlet is positioned atthe front between the two air outlets, provision can be made for eachair outlet to have an air outlet grille with oblique blades that deflectthe exiting air flow outward from the center.

Additionally, the within invention concerns a refrigerator and/orfreezer having the characteristics of claim 10. Provision is made for arefrigerator and/or freezer to have at least one base assembly elementaccording to one of claims 1 to 9.

Additional details and advantages of the invention will now be explainedin greater detail by means of an embodiment illustrated in the drawing,which shows:

FIG. 1: a view in perspective of one portion of a base assembly element,

FIG. 2: another view in perspective of the portion of a base assemblyelement illustrated in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3: a top view of a base assembly element or a portion of a baseassembly element,

FIG. 4: another view in perspective of a base assembly element or aportion of a base assembly element with assembled compressors andvaporization pan,

FIG. 5: a view in perspective of parts of the base assembly element,

FIG. 6: a view from below of the parts of the base assembly elementillustrated in FIG. 5, and

FIG. 7: a view from the back, in perspective, of the base assemblyelement or a portion of the base assembly element.

FIG. 1 shows a view in perspective of a base assembly element 10constructed as an equipment base 10 for a refrigerator and/or freezer,or a part of a base assembly component 10 in perspective front view. Theequipment base 10 has at the front an air inlet extending over the fullheight, in addition to air outlets 110, 210 to the right and the left.Air inlet 20 is bounded by a frame 22 positioned on the forward edge ofrecess 24, and at the same time air inlet 20 forms part of the frontsurface of equipment base 10. A fan 30, with cover grill 32, visibleparticularly in FIG. 1, is inserted in recess 24. Fan 30 is preferablythereby fitted closely into recess 24 and is held in recess 24 by meansof appropriate holders.

Equipment base 10 has in addition a bottom equipment base half 12 or abottom pan 12, and a top equipment base half 14 or upper pan 14, whichessentially constitute the basic elements of equipment base 10, to whichall other components of equipment base 10 are attached. Bottom pan 12and top pan 14 are constructed preferably as injection-molded parts thatcan be installed in sequence to form interior air control areas 100, 200(cf. FIG. 3), which said air control areas 100, 200 air intake areas100, 200 are not shown in greater detail in FIG. 1. The air outlets ofair control areas 100, 200 are visible in FIG. 1 and are labeled withreference numbers 110, 210. Air outlets 110, 210 are equipped withair-deflecting air outlet grilles 112, 212 designed in one piece andhaving oblique blades, so that the heated air exiting from air controlareas 100, 200 is blown out to the left or to the right. This makes itpossible to prevent air flow conflicts, that is, to prevent the heatedair exiting through air outlets 110, 210 from being sucked into airinlet 20.

FIG. 2 shows the equipment base 10 shown in FIG. 1, with the differencethat the air filter 26 is inserted in frame 22. This air filter 26 isdesigned as a re-usable air filter 26. By means of a strap 28 or ahandle 28 the air filter 26 can be easily inserted in and removed fromframe 22. It is possible to clean dirt off air filter 26 after a certainperiod of operation. For example, the operator or user of therefrigerator and/or freezer can remove this air filter 26 and thensimply clean it in a dishwasher or sink.

FIG. 3 shows in schematic top view a section through equipment base 10.By means of this top view it is easy to reconstruct how the ambient aircan be used for cooling the components positioned in equipment base 10.Ambient air is first sucked in over air filter 26 by fan 30. Afterflowing through recess 24 of air inlet 20, the cold ambient air entersinto air control areas 100 and 200 in parallel manner, in each of whichsaid air control areas 100 and 200 there is a fourfold holder 120, 220for spiral condensers 122, 222.

The air flowing through air control areas 100 and 200 thus cools spiralcondensers 122, 222, and the exhaust thereby heated is guided to exitequipment base 10 to the right or the left over air outlets 110, 210through air exhaust grilles 112, 212 with their oblique blades.

In addition, equipment base 10 has a bypass channel 90, by means ofwhich cold air flows into the compressors 40, positioned at the back ofequipment base 10, which said compressors 40 are shown in FIG. 4. Thisair thus cools compressors 40 and can rise as heated air via bypasschannels 130, 230 to vaporization pan 50, with consequent increase invaporization performance. Vaporization pan 50 moreover has air outletslits 52 on the cover, by means of which the warm air can rise along thebackplate of the refrigerator and/or freezer, not illustrated in greaterdetail.

FIG. 5 shows the view illustrated in FIG. 6 without top element part 14of equipment base 10. FIG. 6 also shows, from below, a view inperspective of equipment base 10, in order to clarify the arrangement ofbypass channel 90, which leads cold air to the two compressors 40.

FIG. 7 shows in addition a view from the back, in perspective, of afully assembled equipment base 10, from which it can be deduced that inassembled condition the vaporization pan 50 covers the two compressors40 like a roof.

1. An equipment base assembly component for a refrigerator and/orfreezer, comprising at least two separate air control areas, througheach of which air can be introduced for purposes of cooling.
 2. Anequipment base assembly component according to claim 1, wherein each aircontrol area is configured at least partially as a channel, and/or thatthere is at least one common air inlet, and/or that each of the aircontrol areas has at least one individual air outlet.
 3. An equipmentbase assembly component according to claim 2, wherein in the area of theair inlet there is at least one fan.
 4. An equipment base assemblycomponent according to claim 2, wherein the air inlet is positioned inthe front between two air outlets facing the edge, and/or that the airinlet is bounded by a frame, and/or that the air inlet is equipped withan air filter that preferably completely covers the air inlet, in whichcase the air filter can be inserted particularly in the frame.
 5. Anequipment base assembly component according to claim 1, wherein in theair control areas individual refrigeration cycle components arepositioned, particularly parts of at least one condenser, in which casethe condenser is designed as a spiral condenser.
 6. An equipment baseassembly component according to claim 1, wherein there is at least onebypass area, in particular a bypass channel in communication with avaporization pan, for guiding air to the vaporization pan, and/or bymeans of which air can be guided to at least one compressor, in whichcase the compressor is positioned preferably in one part of the baseassembly component.
 7. An equipment base assembly component according toclaim 6, wherein the compressor is positioned in the rear portion of onepart of the base assembly component, and/or that the vaporization pan ispositioned above the compressor.
 8. An equipment base assembly componentaccording to claim 1, wherein in the air outlets or in the vicinity ofthe air outlets there is at least one airflow deflection agentconfigured to prevent a flow conflict with other air control areas, inparticular the at least one airflow deflection agent configured toprevent flow conflicts from the air inlet and the air outlets.
 9. Anequipment base assembly component according to claim 8, wherein the atleast one airflow deflection agent is designed in one piece with theindividual air outlet, and/or that the airflow deflection agent is anair discharge grille with inclined blades.
 10. Refrigerator and/orfreezer equipment comprising at least one base assembly componentaccording to claim 1.